I love me some smoked chicken, but in all honesty; it’s not always as easy to fix as it seems. They can easily get over-cooked, over-smoked, dry and flavorless. Sure, you can buy smoked chicken breasts in the supermarket but come on, that takes the fun out of cooking! Plus, they don’t taste as good as they do home-smoked. Nothing ever does.

The secret to a great tasting smoked chicken breast is the chicken brine. It’s very hard to get it right without brining the chicken first. The right brine for the exact right amount of time makes all the difference.

I kept this one basic because I needed the chicken for a specific recipe, but feel free to add as much flavor and spiciness to them as you like. Add honey, fennel seeds, a hint of sugar, curry powder, cayenne, orange juice, lemon peel or tabasco for extra flavor. Basically anything goes.

The extra flavors you add to the salted water will be carried to the meat as well. I kept it fairly basic but the sky is the limit. Add whatever you feel like.

Bring the water to a boil.

As soon as it boils, turn off the heat and add 2 cups really cold water.

Let the brine cool off completely and then put it in the fridge. A lot of people let their brine get to room temperature (somewhere between 65F and 70F) before using it, that is a no go, people. Safety for all. The brine should stay below 40F (4C). So store it in your fridge until it gets to that point. It’s like canning; do it right and safe or don’t do it at all.

Go outside to get some fresh air and shoot some pretty autumn pics while you’re at it.

As soon as the brine has the right temperature, add the chicken. Pop the lid on and put the pan in the fridge. Leave it there for 1 1/2 to max 2 hours. I prefer 1 1/2 hours, don’t want it too salty. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged.

After 1 1/2 hours, I remove the chicken from the brine (toss the brine), pat them dry with paper towels and let them air dry for a while. I only rinse when I have to use the drippings and don’t want them to be salty.

When you do rinse, for God’s sake, be careful. It’s a sure way to spread bacteria throughout your kitchen.

Soak a moderate amount of apple smoking chips for about 1/2 to 1 hour. I’ve used apple, but you can use cherry or any kind of combination. Don’t overdo it though and keep it on the light side, chicken doesn’t need a lot of smokiness.

I fired up the pit and got my Big Green Egg (with plate setter) steady at 200F (100C). Drained the smoking chips, added them, put the dripping pan in there and placed the chicken breasts on the grill.

I know that it generally takes them 2 to 2 1/2 hours at this temperature to be fully cooked. I didn’t check them until 2 hours afterwards and they were a perfect 165F (75C). Chicken needs to have this core temperature in order for it to be safe to eat.

Let them rest (wrapped in tinfoil) for 5 minutes before slicing them.

These are so good. Perfectly seasoned with a really nice, light smoky flavor. My kinda chicken.

Start by pouring 8 cups (2 liters) of water in a large pot and add 1/2 a cup (scant) salt and add the spices and herbs. bring the water to a boil, turn off the heat and pour in 2 cups cold water.

Let the brine cool off completely and then put it in the fridge. Keep it below 40F (4C) for safety purposes. As soon as the brine has the right temperature, add the chicken. Pop the lid on and put the pan in the fridge. Leave it there for 1 1/2 to max 2 hours. Make sure the chicken is completely submerged.

After 1 1/2 hours, I remove the chicken from the brine (toss the brine), pat them dry with paper towels and let them air dry for a while. I only rinse when I have to use the drippings and don’t want them to be salty.

Soak a moderate amount of smoking chips for about 1/2 to 1 hour. I fired up the pit and got my Big Green Egg (with plate setter) steady at 200F (100C). Drain the smoking chips add them to the hot coals, put the dripping pan in there and placed the chicken breasts on the grill.

Check them after 2 hours. The chicken breasts need to have a 165F (75C) core temperature in order for it to be safe to eat. Let them rest (wrapped in tinfoil) for 5 minutes before slicing them.

Know why? That’s because they are often artificial. When you smoke a chicken breast you lose weight. So what they do instead is put them in a smoke flavored brine and then grill them. There’s not even real smoke involved.

Kay – thank you so much for this lovely recipe. My hubby and I just bought some smoking chips recently and were wondering how to use them! We’ll give your method a go at the weekend. Can’t wait to try it. :-D

Hi Kay, love the pictorial guide and I’ve tried out some of your recipes with ease :) I’ve seen the green “smoking” contraption several times on your posts, can you recommend yours? Seems pretty handy in the backyard

Sort of followed the recipe; looks good and tastes fine. I’m cooking a shallot/tangerine/tomato chutney in the oven right now to go with it.

Your notes with regard to the appropriate temperature for the brine are highly applauded. Food safety is easily disregarded and the time it takes one’s average domestic fridge to cool any substance is usually quite wildly underestimated. I’d cool 2 litres of liquid overnight to make sure.